In our society there is an increasing number of babies that are born to drug addicted mothers. These infants suffer from a number of special problems that normal babies do not encounter, because they are born with the same drug addictions that their mothers suffered from. Infants born with drug addictions have a tendency to tremor due to drug withdrawals. These tremors overstimulate the infant and make rest nearly impossible. Treatment of drug addicted babies include three different methods of calming the newborn infant. These methods are swaddling the infant, holding the infant with restraint of the arms to prevent unnecessary motor releases, and positioning the infant in the midline position.
In addition, babies suffering from drug addiction are often born prematurely and are of low birth weight. The overactive trembling associated with drug withdrawals not only prevents the infant from resting, but it burns off additional calories and makes all important weight gain difficult. Most premature babies especially those born with drug addictions, require extensive medical care. Commonly, these babies are connected to multiple electrical heart leads, G.T. tubes, etc.
It is also very important that newborn babies be kept warm, as their bodies are very susceptible to variations in temperature. Exposure to cold air can lead to colds which are quite serious to newborn babies. Additionally, exposure can cause hypothermia in newborns as their thermoregulatory mechanisms are unstable. Both of these situations are even more serious in premature babies and babies born to drug addicted parents, as their immune systems are not fully developed yet.